Crazy Hair Art

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….thanks to Mary from Be Creative Mary for this great art project

I wasn’t going to do this with all my classes but when the first finished pieces went up on display all of my students wanted to know when they were going to do the same project.

After the first group finished this project I realized that I had to put some restrictions on their enthusiasm. I had to remind students that this project was about the crazy hair coming out of the top of their heads and not what came out of their noses. Most of my art students are in grade 3 and a small handful are in grade 2 this year.

After taking their head shots I converted the photo into black and white and printed them on simple photocopy paper. I cut out all the photos and removed most of their hair. Seeing their reactions was priceless. I did have to stress that the hair they created needed some shape so that colour could be added to it. I didn’t want them to simply add a scribble over their heads.

Here are some of the finished pieces that have already found their way onto the bulletin boards in the hallway of our school.

These followed a few days later:

Busy Bees

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….I’m loving my macro lens

I’m still learning how to use my macro lens and right now I feel like I’m not really in control. It’s very hit or miss when I’m trying to capture the perfect shot. I’m not sure what I’ve done right when I get the shot or what I’m doing wrong when I don’t. Here are a few attempts at trying to capture bees at work.

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The bottom photo is obviously not a bee but when my lens got close enough to get a clear shot these orange and black milkweed bugs would quickly move to the back of the milkweed pod that they were sitting on.

Can anyone give me suggestions for getting better close-up shots. When I adjust the lens it doesn’t appear to change what I’m seeing through the lens.

The Changing Seasons: September 2016

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….a new challenge hosted by Cardinal Guzman

September felt like July/August. The school year started with a heat wave. I’m not complaining. It was a beautiful month and when the first day of autumn came around so did the change in the weather. Cool evenings (great for sleeping) and warm afternoons. It’s hard to know how to dress for the day. One definitely needs a sweater or jacket for the mornings but long sleeves and jeans feel too warm later in the day.

The gardens are starting to fade but there is still a lot of colour. Berries and seed pods are starting to replace blooms. The lake is taking on new cool colours of blue and turquoise and the wind is stirring up the waves.

Lucca – A Walled City in Italy

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….a beautiful Tuscan town

On a Sunday, my husband and I decided to hop on the train in Florence and do a day trip to Lucca. Sundays and Mondays are not the best days to travel in Italy. At least on one of those two days tourists will be disappointed to find that shops and attractions are closed to the public. Luckily there were enough stores, churches and caffes open to keep us busy for the day.

Lucca is a historic city with Roman and Etruscan roots. In the 15th century a wall was built around the city that still remains today. The top of the wall is a great place to walk and ride your bike.

As we walked through an opening in the wall we were greeted by narrow cobblestone streets, numerous Gothic churches, beautiful piazzas, outdoor caffes, and stages and signs for music festivals.

I just read recently that there are 100 churches in Lucca. We definitely didn’t see that many but the ones I did see were very impressive.

Our original plan was to go to Pisa as well but it wasn’t to be. We were just too exhausted to make the extra trip. I’m not that disappointed. So many people told me that Lucca would have been their first choice as a destination.